


A Serious Mistake

by MarceVampQueen



Series: A Serious Turn of Events [1]
Category: Elder Scrolls, Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, F/M, Flirting, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Sexual Tension, Teldryn Serious Mod
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-14
Updated: 2020-07-14
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:54:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,309
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25258033
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MarceVampQueen/pseuds/MarceVampQueen
Summary: As the Dragonborn lands in Solstheim once again, she quickly finds out that her search for some extra coin has landed her in another less than favorable position. Caught between a band of unrelenting mercenaries and the man of whom they hunt, she learns that there is more to Teldryn Sero than meets the eye. As she chases both Teldryn and the truth behind the Sea Tiger, she wonders how the man that she had paid no heed to before has managed to cause such a commotion; throughout Tamriel as well as her heart.
Relationships: Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Teldryn Sero, Female Dovahkiin | Dragonborn/Teldryn Sero, Teldryn Sero/Original Character(s), Teldryn Sero/Original Female Character(s)
Series: A Serious Turn of Events [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1839238
Comments: 4
Kudos: 23





	A Serious Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> Replaying through Skyrim recently, I finally decided to give Teldryn a try and instantly fell in love. I've read a good number of the fics including him but I hadn't came across any that involved the 'Teldryn Serious' mod for his backstory, so, here we are.  
> This fic is mainly for those who haven't played through the mod, but even if you have, I hope you enjoy the added romantic/sexual tension between the two as the story progresses.  
> I haven't decided on how after I want to go with this yet, so the rating may change later on.
> 
> Without further ado....

As Wraith stepped onto the docks of Solstheim for what had felt like the umpteenth time, she felt an uneasy feeling settle in the pit of her stomach. The crinkled paper that advertised wanted help aboard the Sea Tiger gently stirring within her grasp from the ash-laden wind. As sketchy as the advertisement seemed, she could never turn down a chance to make some gold. At least, not after a raucous night with a certain Daedric Lord of Debauchery that left her with but a few septims to her name and little to show for it, even after she tracked him down and got the full story straight from the horse's mouth.

She swore that if she ever ran into Sam Guevenne again that it would be far too soon.

Before heading to Bloodskaal Barrow to enquire about the poster, she decided to stop at the Retching Netch to grab a quick drink and secure a room for the night ahead of time. In Skyrim, she would have no trouble sleeping under the stars instead of an inn at night; however, she wasn't in Skyrim anymore. In Solstheim, one of the few true frontiers left around her homeland, anything in the wilds could put you six feet under faster than you could blink. By now, Geldis, the innkeeper, considered her one of his regulars after so many trips to the island.

Upon entering the corner club, Wraith's eyes habitually drifted to the back right corner of the landing where a mercenary in full chitin armor would be lounging in his chair with an untouched sujamma in his hands. However, this time, his chair was empty. With a soft shrug of her shoulders, she descended the stairs and approached the bar, casually taking an open seat in front of Geldis and laying out ten septims in advance.

"For tonight?" Geldis inquired, setting down the polished mug and rag in his hands before quickly collecting the coins.

"You know it," Wraith replied as she dug out a few more septims from her coin purse. "And a drink as well, if you have it."

"What do you take me for, girlie? Of course, I do." He proudly declared as she handed him the gold. Within moments, a full mug of thick amber-colored liquid was set before her on the bar, warm and inviting. "One Ashfire Mead for the outlander."

"Thanks, Geldis." She thanked him with a small grin, bringing the spicy drink to her lips.

"It's no problem at all." He replied with a smile of his own, continuing to clean and polish the tankards that set behind the bar.

"So, did he finally get hired? That merc by the front?" She questioned casually after swallowing her mouthful of mead, her eyes downcast into her mug.

"You mean Teldryn? I suppose so. He hasn't been here for a few days actually, so, who knows?" He mused warily; probably from the likelihood of losing one of his best customers to another contract, Wraith surmised. She hummed softly to herself as she trailed her fingertips around the edge of the mug in thought.

"So... That's his name. Teldryn." She contemplated in a near-whisper, tasting the name as it rolled carefully over her tongue in a similar fashion to the mead that she drank. "Good to know."

Geldis hummed thoughtfully to himself, eyeing her casually as she quickly seemed to lose herself in thought. "You know, sometimes I forget that you're not from around these parts and that you don't know everyone as I do."

She gently shook her head, attentive at his statement. "No, I guess I don't. I never pegged him for someone worth bothering. So, I didn't."

"That's too bad," Geldis responded, almost ruefully, as he braced himself against the bar with squared shoulders. "He's really a decent guy once you get to know him."

"I'm sure he is." She mused as she took another drink of her mead, a bitter feeling settling in her stomach.

She pulled out of the flier once more and laid it out on the bar, bitterness morphing into a sense of foreboding and apprehension. Geldis made a small noise in his throat upon seeing the parchment, but refuse to comment otherwise. Wraith had never second-guessed herself when it came to her choice of work; however, the longer she looked at the wrinkled parchment, the less inclined she felt to move. Geldis' reaction, or rather, lack-there-of, began to gnaw at her.

She had bothered him plenty of times about if there was any work in the area, and like an information broker of sorts, he would tell her anything and everything that she needed to know. His silence had not gone unnoticed at this time, and it fed the unnerving feeling in her gut. Deciding to finish her drink quickly, she tucked the flier away and headed towards the front door with a small farewell to Geldis.

Outside, Solstheim was the same as usual, dusty, dry, and hot, and not five steps out of the door, she already regretted her decision to leave so soon. Begrudgingly, she headed towards Bloodskaal Barrow, just north of Raven Rock. She took the more scenic route by the coastline, the dark green waters rolling harshly against the shore. As the ocean breeze whipped around her, her nose twitched at the metallic smell that mingled with the usual salty brine, and she stilled instantaneously. After years of her wandering through Skyrim and having more than her fair share of bandit encounters, she would never be able to mistake it once it hit her nose; the smell of spilled blood.

Her feet took off further down the beach, a light smoke filtering through her senses as she ran. She faltered when she came upon the small fires that littered around the beach, her eyes landing on the golden shell of a Redoran Guard's armor laid out on the soil, the body within lifeless and still. Her wide-eyed gaze roved over the trail of carnage laid out before her, bouncing from one dead guard to another as they laid strew around the sand. Among the chaos, one lone figure dressed in chitin armor stood in an apparent victory.

"Is that... it can't be. Teldryn?" She muttered in disbelief, a cold sensation settling into her bones as if she had just been doused in ice water. Masked eyes seemed to taunt her behind the chitin helm as he then turned his attention to Wraith.

"What are you gawking at, outlander?" He sneered with mild irritation, the rich tenor of his voice hitting her ears like a shot of liquor, abrasive but unexpectedly warm.

Although they had never spoken to one another before now, the nickname betrayed a sense of familiarity with her. She guessed that perhaps she wasn't the only one stealing glances whenever she had wandered into the tavern before.

"Teldryn? You, you did this?" She questioned carefully, a wave of caution coursing through her as he wrenched a sword from the belly of a charred set of remains and deftly twirled the weapon in his hand.

"Look, I'm here to do a job, and that's it. You stick to your business, and we will both be fine." He warned, cutting straight to the point that her presence here was unwarranted at best. "Best be a good little girl and be on your way, outlander."

"Not before you tell me what's going on." She stated bluntly, pointedly ignoring his blatant teasing remark despite the flush of color that rose to her cheeks.

"That's not going to happen." He responded a matter-of-factly, unwavering in his conviction.

They stared each other down for another moment, silently sizing each other up as she felt his burning gaze rake over her. She folded her arms in front of herself, suddenly self-conscious of the fact that she couldn't read him at all behind that damn helm. Meanwhile, she was an open book, at it unnerved her to no end.

"I should report you to the guard." Her voice wavered despite the confidence that she had tried to summon from within.

"Go on then." He taunted as he tossed the sword into the sand at his feet. "See what happens then."

Although she couldn't see it, she swore that he wore a cocky smirk behind the mask of his helm, and the thought made gooseflesh rise across her skin.

"You know you won't do it, outlander." He continued as he took measured steps towards her. "Because you know that it would be most unwise for you to get in my way."

Toe to toe with her now, she had to crane her next to look up at him. The heat that resonated off him did little to help clear her head, and Wraith cursed silently as her skin flushed anew, bright against her skin.

"You had your chance." She groused out through the muddled mix of emotions in her head, and brushed past him with a hard knock into the shoulder, leaving him with the mess that he had made for himself.

"Alright, then." A dangerous chuckle laced itself through his words. "Looks like I have a bit of work to start on, just... keep it quiet." He warned with a dark tone in the tenor of his voice, unfazed by her threat, returning his attention back to the bodies at his feet. In her retreat, Wraith's skin burned beneath her armor, the sting of embarrassment hot on her cheeks.

"That could have gone better," She muttered to herself disdainfully as she lightly kicked at the sand beneath her boots.

'He's really a nice guy once you get to know him.' Geldis' words repeated in her mind, which stopped her dead in her tracks. Surely, the mer had to be wrong about Teldryn, she thought, but then again, she didn't even know him at all.

All these things begged the question that now swirled through her mind as she turned back to watch Teldryn as he grew more and more agitated while searching through the bodies on the far end of the beach, "Why?"

It was with that question in mind that Wraith trailed back towards the bodies and began to reluctantly rifle through their belongings.

Coming to the corpse of a fallen Nord, she paused as her hand landed on a partially burnt note, the bold handwriting offering a stark contrast to the rest of the parchment. Inside, it had instructions to wait at Bloodskaal until someone named Ramodo infiltrated the city in preparation. Upon recognizing her original destination upon the page, dread filled her.

Teldryn had killed the supposed treasure hunters that she had intended to seek out, but it seemed that they weren't who they claimed to be. Whoever had posted the flier, it seemed, had a much larger and menacing goal in mind.

It wasn't much, the burnt note in her hand, but she wondered if it would mean something to him as she watched him roll over another body. As she approached, she heard him make a disgruntled sound in his throat.

"What was it that you needed again?" Upon hearing the disdain in his voice, she dejectedly tossed the note his way, the parchment fluttering to the ground to lay at his feet.

"Here. I found this." She stated bitterly, watching as he carefully unfolded the note and read through it."

"Well, that's a start." He stated gently after a moment before handing it back to her, the meek tone in his voice quickly becoming overshadowed by his returned bravado."Take this to Captain Veleth, and I'll keep any of these n'wahs from running off."

"Why don't you do it yourself?" She spat back, irritated at his sudden change of enthusiasm.

"Because I have bigger fish to fry at the moment, so, if you will excuse me." And with that, Teldryn walked away, leaving Wraith standing dumbfounded on the beach.

"What the hell was that?" She mumbled softly as he soon disappeared from her line of sight.

The roaring sounds of the wind and waves battering against the coast brought her back to her senses, and with slow and heavy footsteps, she marched back towards Raven Rock. A swirl of emotions and thoughts flowed through her mind as she traipsed through the sand and ash, her heart heavier as a result.

Despite the years she had spent trying to fulfill her role as the Dragonborn, Wraith still couldn't completely squash the forlorn feeling within when things turned out differently than anticipated. And today was no exception. A chance for some extra coin was quickly revealing a much grander scheme, one far bloodier and confusing than she had expected. Even after approaching Caption Veleth with the meek information that she had in hand, she was no closer to finding any real answers.

Tasked with investigating the abandoned houses on the edge of the city, she came across a roguish looking man huddled in a dark corner of one of the houses. Obviously perturbed by her sudden presence, the man growled at her, disdain written clearly on his face.

"Is there a problem, stranger?" She questioned in a clipped tone of voice, her less than cheery mood after her run-in with Teldryn carrying over to now as he stared at her with barely concealed menace.

"You're in the wrong place, kid. Best get lost." He groused out, tucking his crossed arms closer to his chest.

"I don't think so. I have every right to be here as you do."

He chuckled darkly at her statement, although the humor didn't reach his eyes, a deep-set frown set firmly in place. "I highly doubt that."

As she cocked a hip at him, she heard the crinkle of parchment in her pocket, the burnt note she had found earlier suddenly coming to the forefront of her mind. 'Wait for me to infiltrate the city' it had said, with the name of Ramodo scrawled neatly at the bottom.

"I'm looking for anything connected to the Sea Tiger," She stated on a hunch, a twist in her gut from her sudden bravado. "You wouldn't happen to know anything about it, would you?"

If the gleam of recognition that sparked in his eyes didn't give it away, the sneer that pulled at his lips surely did.

"You, by yourself? Do you have a death wish, kid?"

"So, you do know something then?" The words came out more like a statement than an actual question, but the man suddenly went tight-lipped at her response, confirming her suspicions. "Why are you attacking the bulwark then, Ramodo?"

The sudden turn of his head, coupled with a menacing glare, cemented his involvement and identity in her mind. "You really don't know anything about what's going on around here, do you?"

"Well, I wouldn't have to go around investigating if someone would be upfront with me for once, would I?" She fired back, her frustration coming a to head after the workaround she had received over the day.

"Just shut up and take this then. It should explain everything you need to know if you're willing to help us out." He growled out, handing her another note. "Just keep it quiet for now."

She cautiously took the note from him and slowly opened it. Scrawled in red ink, she read through the contents of the letter, the wispy font describing a change in objective. They were after someone, someone worth over twenty thousand septims in reward, and he was to be taken alive.

This was a man-hunt, she concluded, and fear gripped at her as she stared down at the parchment. The person they were after was an auxiliary to the Redoran Guard and had connections to Neloth in Tel Mithryn. Were they after Teldryn?

"So, are you going to help or not?" Ramodo questioned, snapping her out of her train of thought. If she was going to get anywhere with this, she thought to play along.

"You're after a criminal that's hiding out her in Raven Rock, then?" He nodded his head in response as Wraith swallowed down the bitter feeling of attaching the word 'criminal' onto Teldryn so soon.

"Yeah, but I haven't had any luck in finding him yet. I can't leave this place either, too many eyes and ears around." Despite the uncertainty that plagued her mind, she mustered out a quick, 'I'll see what I can do.' before leaving with his silent blessing.

Before she could get far from the 'abandoned' house, she heard a commotion in the town square, a mixture of cries and screams of a battle that waged on. Sprinting towards the calamity and chaos, she pulled out her bow, only to find a tightknit swarm of bodies that surrounded a small group of bandits. It was all over before she knew what else to do. Fresh bodies littered the docks and streets, and while their blood seeped into the ash beneath them, the townspeople scattered back to their usual stations.

Tucking away her weapon, she spotted a body of a mercenary laid out in the alleyway between the main street and the docks, one that still twitched with potential signs of life. Striding towards them, she hoisted them up by their armor, their eyes turned dazed as they let out a wet and harsh cough when slammed against the wall of the building behind them.

"Are you with the Sea Tiger?" She growled out, a bitter smile pulling at the merc's lips in response.

"What's it to you?" They spat through a rueful chuckle, a dribble of blood falling from the corner of their mouth.

"Tell me what I want to know, and you _might_ get to live." She added extra emphasis on the word 'might' considering how far gone they already were.

"As if... I'm dead either way. But we will get what we came for, I assure you..." They trailed off as their body stilled beneath Wraith's hands, the last bit of their life extinguished. She released their armor with a harsh sigh, pinching the bridge of her nose as her frustration and irritation simmered beneath the surface.

What was the point of attacking the bulwark if Teldryn was their target, she wondered? Why bother making yourself the enemy of an entire just for one man? What could Teldryn have possibly done to deserve such a bounty on his head?

Question after question spun through her head, but she had no ready answers for them yet. The crisp sound of paper flapping in the wind drew her attention back to the mercenary in front of her, another note could be seen clenched in their fist, one that had gone previously unnoticed during her ire. Unraveling their fingers from the parchment, she opened it to see what useful information it might contain.

It read: _"You are to distract them while my agents enter the jails. Try not to get killed: I won't be there to save you. -Sigrun"_

"So much for staying alive." She groused sarcastically, picking herself up and pocketing the note.

As she traipsed back towards the town square and closer towards the Retching Netch, she decided that she would bring this new information to the captain, and then continue in the morning. She needed to rest before she did anything else rash, with Teldryn's life possibly hanging in the balance as it was. Although time was a luxury that she wasn't entirely sure she possessed, she knew that the resourceful spellsword would be able to take care of himself at least for another night.

Despite her morbid train of thought, a smile crept onto her face as she made a silent resolution: Teldryn Sero was not allowed to die until she got to see his smug face with her own eyes. He would have to stay alive until then, she decided, he had to.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Remember, feedback is always appreciated.  
> Until next time... Ciao for now!


End file.
